However, Ferndale answered right back when Dylan Strom hit a grand slam just left of straightaway center with two outs in the top of the fifth inning to open up what had been a nail-biter through the first four frames.

Cedar Cliff showed its fight, though, by clawing back with one run in the bottom of the fifth on Jackson Boone’s RBI single. With a pitch count forcing Strom from the game in the bottom of the fifth, Isaiah Carlson came on in relief to get the final out.

Cedar Cliff mounted another rally in the sixth. Justin Stupka doubled, Gavin Wall walked, and Madrak singled to load the bases. After a strikeout, Michael Shenk singled to score Stupka and keep the bases loaded.

Wall then raced home on a Braden Mosby sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 6-4, but Isaiah Carlson struck out the final batter to clinch the World Series title.

Wall was tagged with the loss, while Strom pocketed the win.

With the two home runs, Ferndale finished with 19 for the tournament and averaged 10.1 runs per game.

Cedar Cliff fought until the bitter end. But this time, the sixth-inning deficit was just a bit too much to overcome. It was the first loss of the summer all-star season for Cedar Cliff (19-1), which scored all seven runs in the last inning to beat Ferndale in the opening of pool play one week earlier.

This team of 12-year-olds became the first team from Ferndale to win a World Series. The city of Ferndale officially welcomed their team back home on Friday night, August 11.

“These small-town boys are heroes,” said Jana Moore as she waited for the team to show up. The celebration briefly shut down the downtown street as the players jumped out of their vans and walked down the street.

“It was fun. It was a lot of people,” said catcher Jordan Mason.

It capped off a whirlwind couple of days for the boys. “Yes, very, very long day,” said pitcher and first baseman Landen Hatchett.

Hatchett carried the championship trophy overhead while walking downtown. At times, he hugged family members and stopped to wipe his eyes.

“We weren’t planning for this. They just kind of put it together by themselves, so thanks to all of them for coming out and welcoming us home. That was fun,” he said.

The city followed by hosting a block party celebration for the team the following Saturday.